Cloth-clamp for textile machinery.



N0. 629,49l. Patented July 25, I899. H. w. BUTTERWORTH. CLOTH CLAMP FOR TEXTILE MACHINERY.

fi'Application filed Au a, 1598.

(No Model.)

Inventor. -,tu M141 AttO rney witnesges.

rmi. wunmqtcu. a. c,

m: seams mans 9o. PNOTO L UNITED STATES PATENT Q'EEICE.

IIA RRY WV. BUTTERVYORTH, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO THE H. W. BUTTERWORTH & SONS COMPANY, OF PENNSYLVANIA;

CLOTH-{CLAMP FOR TEXTILE MACHINERY.

srnorrlon'rroiv forming part of Letters Patent No. 629,491, dated July 25, 1899.

Application filed August 6, 1898- To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, HARRY W. BUTTER- WORTH, of the city and county of Philadelphia, State of Pennsylvania, have invented an Improvement in Cloth-Clamps for Textile Machinery, of whichthe following is a specishown in Letters Patent granted to me on,

April 20, 1897, and numbered 581,102. In clamps asset out in said patents the automatic action is defective under certain conditions-namely, the extra smoothness of the fabric or coating of the clamping-surfaces with starch derived from the fabric. causes make the fabric tend to slip out of the jaws before firmly gripped. This is largely due to the fact that the movable jaw does not snap upon the fabric quickly enough and,

with sufficient force'when the cloth is moving under the controlling-finger to throw the jaw into action. Heretofore I .have in using the above-patented inventions relied upon gravity to cause the parts to operate upon the cloth; but while this is amply sufficient under some conditions itis not so in all cases, as above pointed out; and in these cases I cause the clamping-jaw to be operated by a spring and indirectly thereby make the controlling-finger respond more rapidly. In doing this, however, I prefer to modify the leverage of the controlling-finger, so as not to put an excessive strain upon the cloth.

Myimprovements will be better understood by reference to the accompanying drawings, in which-- Figure 1 is a side elevation of a cloth-clamp embodying my invention when in the act of clamping the cloth. Fig. 2 is a sectional view before the cloth has been drawn from under These 'tened surface to act upon the fabric.

Serial No- 68'7,903. (No model.)

the controlling-finger. Fig. 8 is a plan viewof my improved clamp, and Fig. 4 is a side elevation of a modification of my invention.

A is a link of a chain of any suitable conveyer. I

B is the fixed jaw and may be formed integral with the conveyor-link. In practice this jaw is made of iron and covered with a plate 0, of brass, to avoid rust, which would be injurious to the fabric. The fixed jaw Bis provided with overhangingarms E, to which is pivoted at e the movable jaw F, the grip ping edge of which is movable to and from g the plate 0 of the fixed jaw. The movable jaw is provided with an upward extension f, adapted to be operated by a suitable cam, as. is customary. Arranged about the pivot-pin e, on each side of the partf and intermediate of it and the arms E E, I arrange coil-springs S, the outer ends being adapted to be held by said arms at T and the inner ends being united, so as to act upon the movable jaw to force it down. By means of these springs the movable jaw snaps down quickly and with some v force when the tripliberates it. The rearportion of the movable jaw F is provided with an arm G, to the lower end of which is pivoted at h the freely-moving controlling-finger H. The controllingfinger consists of a small casting invertedU-shaped and having two extensions relatively disposed upon each side ,of its pivot, one of which, I, extends rearwardly and the other andlonger of which, J, projects toward the movable jaw and is ar--8 ranged to freely play through a slot D in the fixed jaw. The space between the partsI and J is recessed, as at K, so that the-rear part I acts as a fulcrum upon the movablejaw and the forward part J presents a gaff- 0 e controlling-finger H is free to swing upon its pivot 71., and may be provided wit-h a stopshoulder S to limit the backwardmovement, so asto prevent the part J catching upon the 5 movable jaw when the parts are thrown downward. 1

When the clamp is thrown wide open, the movable jaw F, together with the controllingfinger, is lifted rearwardly and upwardly, 10o leaving a clear space between the fixed jaw and the overhanging structure E, into which the cloth passes. When the cloth is inserted, the mo able jaw is allowed to fall, and. as it approaches the cloth the extension I of the controlling-finger strikes the fixed jaw, while the forward extension J is received upon the cloth, as shown in Fig. 2. This action holds the movable jaw away from the cloth. As, however, the cloth is drawn from under the extension J this part of the controlling-finger is wholly'liberated and it falls through the slot D, permitting the clam ping-jaw F to descend under the action of the springs S. The cloth is in this manner gripped close to its selvage, as shown in Fig. l.

The quick and positiveaction of the spring in a clamp of this characterinsures the cloth being properly and positively gripped, and overcomes any tendency to the slipping of the fabric under the gripping-jaw from any of the causesabove pointed out. The practical effect of the blow given to the grippingjaw under the spring action is to cause its edge to practically indent or embed itself into the fabric, and thus hold. it firmly and positively.

My inventionwould be the same with the othert-ype of clamp shown in my Patent No. 5813102, before referred to, as the specialtype ofcontrolling-finger or its method or position ofjpivot-ingisimmaterial. This modification isshownin Fig; 4, in which the rear arm on themovable jaw is formed like a jaw G, betweenthe two parts of which thepart h of the controlling-finger H operates. The rear endjof this controlling-fingeris fulcrumed at If to the main frame Eand the forward end J" rests upon the cloth. The spring S is applied to the movable jaw as in the other fig- HIBS.

It is to beunderstood that there is a limit to the power which may be practically emp10yed,as too much pressure would either prevent the controlling-linger properly acting or would injure the cloth by cutting or abrading it;

I donut confine myself to any particular way of applying the springso long as it positively actsto close the movable jaw upon the fabric and cause it to quickly act with force irrespectively of the action of gravity.

What I claim as new, anddesire to secure byIietters Patent, is-

l. A cloth-clamp for textile-machinesconsisting of a. fixed jaw, combinedwith a movablejaw, a spring directly acting at all times upon the movable jaw to force its clamping edge down upon the fabric between the jaws, anda controlling-finger pivoted to the rear ofwthexmovable jaw onan axis parallel to the clamping edge of the jaw said finger having anextension on one side of its pivot acting as a fulcrum in connection with thefixed jaw and a forward free end on the other side of its pivot governed by the cloth when between the jaws and adapted to oppose the action of the spring and hold the movable spring-actuated jaw out of action until the cloth is properly adjusted thereunder.

2. In a cloth-clamp, the combination of a fixed jaw with a movable jaw movable to or from the fixed jaw, a spring to force the movable jaw toward the fixed jaw, and a controlling-finger hinged to the rear of the movable jaw and provided with a rear fulcrum extension adapted to come in contact with the fixed jaw, and a forward controlling ex tension adapted to be received and temporarily sustained by the cloth to hold the movable jaw open against the actionof its spring until the cloth is drawn from under said controlling extension to permit the spring to force the movable jaw down with pressure and rapidity.

3. In a cloth-clamp, the combination of a fixed jaw having an aperture or recess in its face and provided furthermore with an overhanging fixed arm, a jaw pivoted to said arm and having its clamping edge movable to and from the fixed jaw, a spring acting at all times directly upon the movable jaw to move it toward the fixed jaw when unsupported to clamp the cloth, and a. movable finger acting as a lever fulcrumed at one end upon the fixedjaw and having the forward or free end movable through the recess inrthe face thereof and adaptedto be sustained by the cloth between the jawsand also having a connection between its fulcrum and free end with the pivoted jawto hold the same elevatedagainst the action of: its springuntil the cloth is moved into proper positionito release the free end of said linger and permit it. to passinto the recess.

4. 'l hecom'bination ofthe fixed jawBhaving overhanging arms E E, a pivoted jaw F journaled to the overhanging arms and havingan.

upward central extension ffor operating it, a transverse pi vot-pin e carried by the overhangingarms and acting asthe pivotof-the movable jaw, springs S surrounding the pivot-pinhaving one end acting on the overhangingarms and the other end upon the movable jawaud further interposed between the overhanging arms and the projection fof the movable jaw, and a controlling-finger operating upona rear.

extension from the pivoted jaw and controlled;

by the cloth between the jaws.

In testimony of which invention-Ihereunto set .my hand.

HARRY W. BUTTERWORTH. \Vitnesses:

R. M. HUNTER, J. W. KENWORTHY. 

